Friday, September 14, 2012

Yohan is more active in scouting this year. Last quarter, he was chosen as Assistant Patrol leader of his group. He came up with their patrol name Dragon and volunteered to make the group's flag.

Making the cub scout flag became a family activity. Yohan requested white and red fabric from his grandma while I searched for a simple dragon graphic online. As soon as I found one, I printed it and Jules painstakingly cut the outline. He placed the stencil on top of the fabric and used spray paint to fill the spaces in the pattern. We made two flags, a white and a red one.

Yohan and I worked on the outlines of the dragons. Yohan decided that the red one will be the official flag of Team Dragon. To complete the flag, Jules attached it to a long bamboo stick.

Earlier today, Yohan went home to share some good news. He had been promoted to Patrol Leader this quarter. I'm so proud of my young cub scout.

Thursday, September 06, 2012

Buying a house is an important family decision. Finding the perfect home is something that should be given careful consideration. When you find the ideal place, do not be impulsive in making the purchase. Make it a point to get a reliable home inspection report to determine if the house that you want to buy is worth the investment.

An inexperienced buyer can benefit from the help of a home inspector to survey the house and the surrounding area. You can use Home Inspection Report Forms to guide you in making your decision. A home inspection report will tell you if there are potential concerns such as vital repairs that might be needed before you can live in the house.

Knowledge and experience can be very helpful when getting into a real estate transaction. First time buyers can ask guidance and suggestions from friends and relatives who have previous experience in purchasing real estate or home construction. Getting professional help is also a good way to ensure that you understand the different pros and cons of buying or constructing a house. Do not hesitate to ask if there are things that you are not sure of. It is vital that you understand all the real estate terms in the contract before signing the deal.

My son's school celebrated Linggo ng Wika (National Language Week) on the last month of August. Each level in Preschool, Grade School and High School prepared their own Linggo ng Wika presentation. Yohan, who is now in Grade 3 were assigned to recite a Filipino poem entitled "Sa Aking Mga Kabata" by Jose Rizal. The children looked great in their costumes. The boys wore barong tagalog while the girls wore ladies barong.

I'm very proud of Yohan and his classmates for memorizing the long poem. I know everyone worked very hard for their Linggo ng Wika presentation.

The performance went well although I was a little sad that Yohan was at the back the whole time. There were three rows and the taller kids were positioned at the back. It would have been nice if there was a little choreography involved that allowed the kids to have some sort of rotation. I'm sure many parents would have appreciated if all the kids had a chance to go to the front at one point or another.

Monday, September 03, 2012

The success of a retail store depends on the how well certain factors work together. Here are some tips in operating and managing your own retail store:

1. Quality products – If you sell quality products, there is a great chance that customers will come back to your store to make a repeat purchase. Loyal customers are drawn to stores that they can trust. You can also get referrals from satisfied customers. Ask yourself this question, if you were a customer, would you buy your own products? If the answer is no, then it’s time to consider changing your product lines.

2. Clean and organized store – Keep your store clean at all times. Over-all store cleanliness is a good indication that the store’s products are well maintained. Use essential Retail Store Supplies to organize store merchandise for the convenience of shoppers. For example, if your store sells T-shirts and sweaters, you can use folding boards to fold and refold top garments with ease. Use color coded hangers to distinguish different garments. For example, use blue hangers for the male section and pink ones for the female section. Provide garment bags and covers for delicate and more expensive pieces. Keep display garments looking new and fresh by using garment steamer.

3. Quality customer service – It is easier to sell products when the store has friendly and knowledgeable staff. Train your staff to be easily approachable and courteous to clients. The staff should also be ready to assist and answer possible product-related questions of customers.

When I was young, I used to make paper boats and paper planes. I enjoyed folding pieces of paper until they transformed into familiar shapes. I'm glad Yohan recently discovered the simple pleasure of creating paper planes. His Dad taught him how. When Yohan mastered the folding techniques, he made two planes and presented them to me. He said the black one belongs to him and red one is for me. My red plane has a heart and the letter "M" that stands for Mom.